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SPRINGFIELD, Ill.— Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Illinois plan to seek a federal disaster declaration to make farmers with flood-damaged crops eligible for assistance, as flood warnings persist along several state waterways, including the Illinois River. The declaration would make farmers who faced extensive spring and summer...

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NEW ORLEANS, July 14- Signal International will pay $20 million to settle lawsuits alleging fraud and labor trafficking by the Alabama oil rig repair company, which brought hundreds of Indian men to work on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, attorneys for the plaintiffs said on Tuesday. "These workers have waited seven long years for justice," Jim Knoepp,...

MEXICO CITY, July 14- Hurricane Dolores strengthened slightly off Mexico's Pacific coast on Tuesday and is expected to become a major hurricane on Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. In June, Hurricane Blanca threatened to hit land on Mexico's Baja California peninsula but failed to wreak the havoc caused there by Hurricane Odile in September.

BANGKOK, July 13- Thailand's rice export association lowered its annual target from 10 million to 9.5 million tonnes on Monday, due to a slowdown in the global economy and fears that drought in Thailand could slash output for the year. Chukiat Opaswong, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, said Thailand would face a tougher export market...

SUPHAN BURI, Thailand, July 10- Farmers in Thailand's rice-growing Suphan Buri province are becoming increasingly desperate for water to irrigate their parched fields as the nation, a leading producer of the staple food, suffers its worst drought in more than a decade. The wet season is under way, but Thailand is contending with drought conditions in seven out of...

WASHINGTON, June 30- An Oklahoma woman who was injured when an earthquake rocked her home in 2011 can sue oil companies for damages, the state's highest court ruled on Tuesday, opening the door to other potential lawsuits against the state's energy companies. Oklahoma, home to major energy companies including Chesapeake Energy Corp., Devon Energy Corp., and...

*Texas, Oklahoma battered by floods last month. The storms inundated fields across Texas and Oklahoma but they broke a years-long drought that wreaked havoc on the profitability of growers and cattlemen. "The thing that differentiates it from all other natural hazards is the fact that it covers such a wide swath or spatial extent," said Don Willhite,...

AUSTIN, Texas, June 17- Tropical Depression Bill drenched large parts of Texas on Wednesday, turning streets into lakes, raising flood worries and killing at least one person in the state where severe weather killed about 30 people last month. "This event is not over," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a news conference. Rainfall is expected to be 4 to 8 inches over...

AUSTIN, Texas, June 17- Tropical Storm Bill was downgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday as it moved across Texas but still brought heavy rains that flooded streets and left at least one person dead in the state where severe weather killed about 30 people last month. Rainfall is expected to be 4 to 8 inches over eastern Texas and eastern Oklahoma and 3 to 6...

AUSTIN, Texas, June 17- Tropical Storm Bill was downgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday as it moved across Texas, bringing heavy rains that flooded streets and snarled transportation in the state where severe weather killed about 30 people last month. Rainfall is expected to be 4 to 8 inches over eastern Texas and eastern Oklahoma and 3 to 6 inches over...

HOUSTON, June 17- Tropical Storm Bill headed further into central Texas with heavy rains and high winds on Wednesday before losing its punch and no serious injuries were reported, relieving officials and residents just three weeks after floods killed about 30 people in the state. "This is a rain event," Houston Mayor Annise Parker said at a news conference.

HOUSTON, June 17- Tropical Storm Bill headed further into central Texas with heavy rains and high winds on Wednesday but no serious injuries were reported, relieving officials and residents just three weeks after floods killed about 30 people in the state. "This is a rain event," Houston Mayor Annise Parker said at a news conference. Despite the weakening storm...

HOUSTON, June 16- Tropical Storm Bill hit the Texas coast with strong rains and high winds on Tuesday though no serious injuries were reported, relieving officials and residents just three weeks after floods killed about 30 people in the state. "This is a rain event," Houston Mayor Annise Parker said at a news conference. Despite the weakening storm system,...

HOUSTON, June 16- Tropical Storm Bill punched the Texas coast with heavy rains and strong winds on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said, just three weeks after floods killed about 30 people in the state. Forecasters cautioned that tornadoes were possible across much of Texas. The watch area included Houston and central Texas, where floods over Memorial Day...

HOUSTON, June 16- Tropical Storm Bill punched the Texas coast with heavy rains and strong winds on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said, just three weeks after floods killed about 30 people in the state. Flash flood watches were in effect for central Texas and the Houston area, regions where floods over the Memorial Day weekend late last month swept over...